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Rio boost for England after Fergie says Man United defender WILL answer SOS for World Cup qualifiers

PUBLISHED:

19:49 GMT, 16 March 2013

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UPDATED:

20:07 GMT, 16 March 2013

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed on ESPN that defenderRio Ferdinand will join up with the England squad on Monday.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that defender Rio Ferdinand will join up with the England squad on Monday.

The 34-year-old earned his first England call-up under manager Roy Hodgson for the World Cup qualifiers with San Marino and Montenegro later this month.

Not convinced: Ferguson was caught by surprise that Ferdinand was recalled to Roy Hodgson's England squad

There were reports this morning that
Ferdinand could yet turn down the chance to represent his country again,
either in response to being left out by Hodgson until now or in order
to prolong his club career.

However, Ferguson – asked tonight if the defender would be joining up with England on Monday – told ESPN: 'Yes.'

Hodgson cited 'footballing reasons' for Ferdinand's exclusion in his squad for the Euro 2012 finals and he has remained out of his plans until now.

Ferdinand impressed in the Barclays Premier League match against Reading, setting up the only goal of United's 1-0 Old Trafford win for Wayne Rooney.

Stoke City are considering a move for out-of-favour Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey during the summer.

The former Charlton prospect has
recently fallen out of Brendan Rodgers first-team plans and the Sunday
People suggest that he could be available in a cut-price transfer in the summer.

Stoke are
understood to be observing the 21-year-old’s progress with Tony Pulis having sent a two-man party to watch the England international
in a reserve match last week.

Bleak future: Shelvey (right) could be allowed to leave Anfield after disappointing recent form

Shelvey impressed earlier in the
season for the Reds in his 14 appearances, earning a first England senior cap against San Marino in October.

However, the youngster has been
criticised for his latest displays and he was hauled off by Rodgers after
60 minutes in his last start, an uninspiring performance during their 2-0 defeat against
West Brom in February.

Stoke look set to lose unsettled
former Liverpool man Charlie Adam in the summer and Pulis has now eyed up Shelvey in a 7million swoop as the ideal replacement for the
Scottish international.

Grieving: Adam (left) lost his father just before Christmas which could see him depart Stoke

Jagielka will certainly hope to be
fit to take his place in England's squad for their next World Cup
qualifiers, against San Marino on March 22 and Montenegro four days
later.

When pressed, Moyes later said Jagielka could be out for 'a couple of weeks, maybe'.

Le Fondre apologised after the game,
saying via Twitter: 'Fans were brilliant today! Shame about result!
Everton were class! Thoughts with jags never meant to catch him,caught
him late an apologised.'

Guilty: Nikica Jelavic is furious with Adam Le Fondre

Jagielka had to be immediately replaced,
and Moyes said: 'I genuinely haven't seen it again but I thought on the
pitch it didn't look good.

'Jagielka knew about it and it is a bad one. He will have surgery tonight to stitch up his ankle.

'It is a bad one because he is a key player for us.'

Moyes said he did not know how long Jagielka would be out but the 30-year-old must now be doubtful for next week's FA Cup quarter-final against Wigan.

The incident also reminded Moyes of some of the treatment goalkeeper Tim Howard received in the two previous cup matches against Oldham.

Howard was unable to face Reading after suffering a knock in the fifth-round replay win over over the League One side on Tuesday and was replaced by back-up Jan Mucha.

'I'm not happy with the challenges on the goalkeeper in the last two games that have put him out and I am not happy with the challenge today that puts Phil Jagielka out,' said the manager.

'I'm not one who minds challenges. I like a bit of that, if that's what it is.

'I don't mind robust challenges but not one that puts out arguably one of my best players.'

Howard's absence ended the American's run of 210 consecutive Premier League appearances.

Moyes said: 'I thought Jan did very well but it came about because the goalkeeper wasn't protected in the first game against Oldham and they felt it was right they could do that again in the second game.

'In the end the goalkeeper has been injured because of decisions which should have been deemed free-kicks long before.'

Reading manager Brian McDermott also said he did not get a clear view of Le Fondre's challenge on Jagielka but defended his player.

McDermott said: 'Adam Le Fondre is not that type of player, no way. He is a very honest type of player.

'I don't know what they are saying but there is no way Adam Le Fondre is a player that would `do` anybody.'

FA delay talks on new deal for U21 boss Pearce leaving his future in doubt

, winning every one of the six fixtures they played, and even being without Manchester United defender Phil Jones (shingles) and Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling (dead leg), Pearce will be expecting another victory.

Starting roles: Wilfried Zaha and Jonjo Shelvey will feature from the get-go

‘It’s a shame Jones is out,’ said Pearce, who will start Wilfried Zaha up front. ‘But he’s picked up shingles, there’s not a lot we can do.’

Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey will start for the first time since September and wants to make his mark after a disappointing period at Anfield. He has not started a game since a 3-1 defeat at Stoke on Boxing Day.

‘I didn’t think I was the only one that had a bad game that day but I was the one who suffered,’ said Shelvey, who made his senior debut against San Marino in October. ‘I’m still learning. I’ve got to prove I can get back to the seniors.’

Hodgson urges England to forget the failures since '66 and look to the future

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UPDATED:

16:38 GMT, 15 December 2012

Roy Hodgson cannot see the point in England handicapping themselves by constantly lamenting what has gone wrong since 1966.

After a solid start to their World Cup qualifying campaign, the Three Lions visit San Marino and Montenegro next March before an autumn push towards the World Cup in Brazil.

If England do achieve their first objective, Hodgson knows references to their sole World Cup win are bound to be raised, plus the inevitable debate about why progress has been so slow since that memorable occasion.

England boss Roy Hodgson says England need to stop worrying about what has gone wrong since 1966 and focus on the present and future of the team

But England's coach feels that assessment is counter-productive.

'One of my concerns for England has always been that we're not trying to win in the present, we're trying to win in the past and we can't do that,' Hodgson told FATV.

'I know there's 1966 and that it's 50 years and that we've failed here and there and missed penalty shoot-outs, but unfortunately there's not very much I can do now to change anything that's historical.

'You can't turn back the clock and you can't win yesterday. You can only win today and while winning today, you can only have an eye on how we can win tomorrow.'

Hodgson cannot be faulted for the number of younger players he has introduced to the Three Lions fold since he took charge in May.

Raheem Sterling and Carl Jenkinson were amongst those to make their debuts in Sweden last month, whilst others, including Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were part of his Euro 2012 squad despite their limited experience.

With the exception of Sterling, none of that quartet could be regarded as first-choice for their clubs in a league where so many of its top men are foreign.

Hodgson sees little point arguing against the mass continental influx.

Instead he feels the onus is on those young English players to prove themselves indispensable.

'Clubs will do what they have to do and I can't expect that a manager who is under pressure to get results is thinking long-term for the benefits of the English national side,' he said.

'If he thinks his interests are best served by getting a player from Montenegro, Russia or Israel, they're entitled to do that.

'Rather than complain that there are a lot of foreign players, let's turn it on its head and make certain that our players do better.

'Take Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for example, who plays some games but not others. He has got to become so good that Arsene Wenger doesn't want to look elsewhere.

'That's what I've got to hope for and that's got to be their ambition.'

Challenge: Hodgson said that players like Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (pictured) have to be 'so good that Arsene Wenger doesn't want to look elsewhere'

Rodgers has been a huge advocate of the 20-year-old since he became Liverpool manager and is adamant that his side have enough threat to cope with the enforced absence of Suarez.

‘I saw an interesting stat that we have had 15 different goalscorers this season,’ said Rodgers, who will also be able to call on Steven Gerrard after he missed the midweek trip to Italy with sickness.

‘We are only three goalscorers behind the record for the club in a season, which is 18. There are goals there. Jonjo is an attack-minded player, he has an instinct for a goal, and we have worked that way before.’

Banned: Luis Suarez will miss Liverpool's clash with West Ham

Shelvey, who comes from a family of West Ham supporters, spent a short period at the club’s Academy when he was 12 but ended up leaving over the way he felt they treated his brother, George, who had also been on their books.

A naturally confident character, Shelvey – who made his England senior debut against San Marino in October – is looking forward to the challenge.

‘I am excited about it,’ said Shelvey. ‘I supported West Ham as a boy but it is not easy to fill the boots of a player like Luis Suarez. I will just give it my best shot. I played against Young Boys in that role and I did all right. It is the same in any successful team. The goals have got to come from all over.’

Rio Ferdinand is right. We're not going to T-shirt racism in football out of existence. Then again, we’re not going to tweet it into oblivion, either. Education, discussion, action. We evolve from there.

Ferdinand, and other black players, may find the white cotton gesture politics of the anti-racism pressure groups facile, but so is trying to make a complex, nuanced argument in a medium of no more than 140 characters.

Some of us preferred the old days, when Ferdinand conveyed his thoughts with a statement more substantial and eloquent than the odd succinct hashtag.

In the red: Rio Ferdinand did not wear the Kick It Out t-shirt before Manchester United played Stoke

Sir Alex Ferguson may now wish he had
spoken at length with Ferdinand before giving his guarantee that every
Manchester United player would mark Kick It Out’s day of awareness in
the appropriate apparel, but the requirement to talk does not just exist
within the confines of the Carrington training complex.

The Football Association, the
Professional Footballers’ Association, the Kick It Out campaign, the
Premier League and Football League, all have a pressing need to consult
with the disaffected black players and ask: what exactly do you want

For while most would support
Ferdinand’s right not to rally beneath a standard in which he does not
believe, his motivation for losing faith in some very decent people is
rather less clear.

Does Ferdinand truly think racism is not taken seriously in this country That the efforts of the FA are insincere What more does he feel anti-racism campaigners could do

These are questions that need
answers, that demand detail, precise and insightful; a perspective with
a little more insight than the ill-considered retweet with which he
attacked Ashley Cole.

If Kick It Out are failing black footballers, so are many of the highest profile rebels by not framing specific grievances.

The presumption is that black players
were protesting about Kick It Out’s failure to address the lenient
treatment of race-related offences: John Terry’s four-match ban,
Chelsea’s endorsement of him as captain, UEFA’s weakness when
confronting racism in Serbia, the punishment and traducing of victim
Danny Rose.

If so, say it. Say what should have
happened. Offer a way forward. Public discourse over race has rarely
felt less cerebral. It has descended to the levels of pulp fiction. A
never-ending soap opera of snubbed handshakes, costume changes and
soundbites, offering few solutions and creating ever greater divisions.

Domestically at least, the complexities are so much richer than these crude gestures allow.

Take the Terry case, from the point
of view of the FA. They as good as tore up their rulebook to bring a
charge against the former England captain, once he had been found not
guilty at Westminster Magistrates Court.

It would have been very easy, at that
moment, to consider the case closed. Instead, the FA pressed ahead, and
lost Terry’s valuable services as an England player as a result.

Following suit: Rio's brother, the QPR defender, Anton Ferdinand also warmed up without the shirt

The four-game ban, while considered paltry by some, was the result of a three-man commission taking into account the individual circumstances around his offence.

It could be argued that race-related transgressions should carry a statutory 10-match ban, and maybe they will in future, but the hearing worked with the boundaries as they are now. The alternative is to surrender to lynch mob justice, bending to a media or public outcry. We have to be above that, no matter the appeal of easy populism.

Then there is the timing — Terry’s confrontation with Anton Ferdinand has passed its first birthday now — and the widely held view that the case dragged on too long and the FA should have pre-empted the trial by the Chief Magistrate. Luther Blissett said as much only last week.

Yet, once the police had asked the FA to suspend their investigation to let events in court take precedence, what were they supposed to do

What if the FA had pressed ahead and found Terry guilty and his Westminster trial had subsequently been deemed prejudiced The FA would have been blamed and vilified. They had to comply with the police request.

Of course, many aspects of Terry’s case were unsatisfactory, but they certainly do not show an authority who are unconcerned with race issues. Quite the opposite.

When placing any individual indictment under the microscope there will always be flaws. Not every criminal trial concludes in a way that chimes with the public mood, either, but that does not mean the justice system is unconcerned with right and wrong.

You may wish for sterner retribution for miscreants, but that does not make your more liberal local magistrate uncaring or complacent.

Similarly, the FA commission did not ban Terry for four matches because they thought racism inconsequential; they reached what they considered to be a fair punishment in the circumstances. You are entitled to disagree; but there is no conspiracy.

Not on: Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott (centre) had no intention of wearing the t-shirt

Standing his ground: Jason Roberts did not wear the yellow t-shirt at Anfield

Red in black: Luis Suarez

We don’t care about racism Consider
Terry’s true punishment. Not four matches, but a stigma that will remain
throughout his life. Without substantial rehabilitation, it will be
very hard for him to remain in football beyond his playing career and
almost impossible for him to pursue work in the media.

Could Terry be offered the job Gary
Neville has for England, or the position Alan Shearer occupies at the
BBC Not without the same outcry that has accompanied Chelsea’s
decision to retain him as captain.

There would be a chorus of
disapproval: reaction from Kick It Out, furious back page controversy,
negative commentary and analysis, a lightning vox pop of prominent black
players. It would be a circus.

Just as it is for Luis Suarez,
ignominy is Terry’s real sentence, and it is for all time, not four
measly matches. So, yes, we’re damn serious about racism in this
country.

On October 6, Marvin Sordell of Bolton
Wanderers said on Twitter that he, and several team-mates, had been
racially abused by Millwall fans at The Den.

To date, there has been no public
confirmation of this: from Bolton players, Millwall players, Bolton
officials, Millwall officials, police or stewards.

Nothing even from the other players
Sordell named: Lee Chung-yong, Darren Pratley and Benik Afobe. But there
is an FA investigation.

Not to doubt Sordell’s words, but this
is at present a single source story. The Leveson Inquiry would not
approve; nor would any self-respecting GCSE history teacher. Yet the FA
are investigating. As they should: because allegations of racism have
to be taken seriously, and are.

Indeed, the problem English football
seems to have is that, in its efforts to do racism justice, it has
become fragmented in how best to act.

It is the Judean People’s Front,
arguing with the People’s Front of Judea. T-shirts: on or off Hand:
outstretched or by side Four games or eight Punishment or
rehabilitation

Jason Roberts of Reading thinks Kick
It Out are weak and should be an angry, righteous force agitating for
change; former England goalkeeper David James believes Kick It Out are
redundant busy-bodies and simply keeping themselves in employment by
unnecessarily amplifying every dispute.

Last week, it was said that Kick It
Out were under pressure to exclude Terry from Saturday’s T-shirt parade,
if he was available to play for Chelsea against Tottenham. Then Terry
accepted his four-match ban and missed the game.

Immediately, this was reinterpreted as
a snub to an organisation who were, possibly, going to snub him anyway.
The snubbee was suddenly the snubber.

So what was it to be Reject Terry in
protest, include him as a way of showing his contrition, or the Holy
Grail — wait for him to ask to be included, in order to reject him in a
blaze of publicity. Whatever was intended, is this really the best we
can do

When we see what happened to England’s
black players in Serbia, is there not a higher ground, a finer way of
addressing racism than with glorified media stunts

Speaking up: Marvin Sordell was targeted online after claiming to have been racially abused by Millwall fans

The most worrying aspect of the
T-shirt protest is that the demand seems to be simply for more
punishment, punishment, punishment, rather than punishment followed by
education and rehabilitation as an example to society.

We presume that Ferdinand is outraged
because Terry was not banned for longer, not because current FA
sentences do not include a process whereby a player can be allowed to
admit his mistake, have what was so wrong explained to him — by his
victim or a proxy — and in time then return to spread the message,
having learned an important lesson.

Punishment followed by banishment is
how we deal with race issues, which is why each malefactor denies his
crime to the bitter end.

This also explains the strange role
reversal in which the offender is portrayed as the real victim, because
the odds are considered to be stacked against him.

Ultimately, instead of bringing the communities together, too much is contentious.

Put it this way: after a year of focus
on race issues are we further advanced If not, then the system is
wrong and the punishment- banishment axis alone is not working.

Even Ferdinand’s collision with
Ferguson has the nuances of the race debate at its heart. Ferguson said
on Friday that his players would support the Kick It Out movement. He no
doubt feels supportive of its good intentions, having endured the
fall-out of the Suarez-Patrice Evra affair.

Maybe he had heard rumours of
Ferdinand’s planned protest and felt by making that statement publicly,
he would box his player into a corner, where he would have no option
but to go along with his manager’s wishes. It was a presumptuous
announcement without consultation, but nobody would dispute Ferguson’s
sincerity of purpose.

In also saying he would back any of
his players who left the field due to racist abuse, he has gone further
than many managers, and certainly further than UEFA president Michel
Platini. Ferguson and Ferdinand are on the same route, but different
paths.

That this will quite possibly play out
as the beginning of the end for Ferdinand at Old Trafford would make
him another casualty of a toxic episode for English football.

‘He’ll be dealt with,’ warned
Ferguson, darkly, which was an unfortunate choice of words to say the
least. Why should Ferdinand be dealt with for sticking to his
principles

Officials stance: Referee Mike Jones and his assistants warm up wearing the anti-racism t-shirts at Swansea

Did Ferguson not once admire independence of thought as a worker in Glasgow’s shipyards

Whether one agrees with Ferdinand’s stance, or finds it misguided, he is entitled to freedom of expression.

Ferguson may feel the protest a
distraction — and he certainly won’t have been happy that the second
Stoke City goal came straight through the heart of his defence on
Saturday — but surely he should be proud of the fact that his players
are leaders, not followers, in football’s community

Joleon Lescott, now of Manchester
City, has not endorsed Kick It Out in five seasons. He has his reasons
and no manager is entitled to instruct him otherwise.

So Ferguson clearly under- estimated
Ferdinand’s depth of feeling, and in doing so ended up embarrassed when
the player publicly disobeyed him.

Now the issue is one of control. Ferguson does not tolerate dissent, and those who go against him rarely last long at United.

The pair are believed to have talked
yesterday and, short-term at least, their working relationship is
maintained. Ferdinand’s contract is up this summer, however, and at 34
he could be in his final season at the club.

He would have known the potential
ramifications when he made the decision to defy Ferguson and it shows
how deeply he cares. Is it too much to ask, then, that he now
articulates those views, privately or publicly, to the people who
matter, that he discusses the way forward, that he assumes the
responsibility of a man in his influential position

If the FA are to stand accused of not
taking racism seriously, what of those who reduce the subject to a
T-shirt, a handshake, a slogan or a pithy tweet

Poland will try to do to England in Warsaw on Tuesday night what Italy did to Roy Hodgson’s team at Euro 2012, according to Hubert Malowiejski, the man who has scouted England for Poland. Malowiejski has also identified John Terry’s absence as 'some kind of trouble for Roy Hodgson.'

Poland have beaten England only once in their history and have injury problems but Malowiejski said: 'England are a real team, but they have some problems. Some players are missing. There are some injuries and John Terry is no longer the captain.

'Against Ukraine, England were under pressure and they only saved a point in the last few minutes.

Absent: John Terry (left) retired from international football

'We are analysing this precisely and we are also analysing England-Italy in the Euros because Italy took complete control of that game at times. This is interesting. That could be a key, though we are aware that we cannot copy Italy totally. They have quality defenders.

'I don’t know the whole John Terry story but for Poland it is better that he is not playing. I know the case but I don’t know the real reason. England can miss his mentality, that’s a factor. He has quality of course, maybe more than Lescott or Jagielka, but the main thing they miss without John Terry is mental. They miss his fight, his passion and his example when things do not go well. He is an inspiration for the rest of the England players, he has rescued many situations. He defends bravely.

Battle: England struggled to break down San Marino before winning easily

'It is peculiar that England have no Terry or Rio Ferdinand, but we have to focus on the new central defenders. Terry missing is not a direct advantage for us, but it’s some kind of trouble for Roy Hodgson.'

The Poles are seeking inspiration from the manner in which Italy dominated England in the summer.

'There are two keys I think,' added Malowiejski, 'one is stopping Steven Gerrard and the other is stopping Wayne Rooney.

'Gerrard can change the tempo, he is the director, everything stems from him. It’s a problem for us that Rooney is back.

High flying: Poland are hoping to cause an upset against England

'But we will look to what Italy did. The Italians stopped Rooney from playing. But we cannot do man-marking, it is zonal marking.

'I think the game will be tactical, but you cannot be sure. It’s vital that we are solid and don’t give goals away.'

Poland have no Andrea Pirlo in their team but Malowiejski said that the Bordeaux playmaker Ludovic Obraniak 'can make decisive passes.'

Chelsea duo Frank Lampard and Ryan Bertrand have both been ruled out of England's World Cup qualifier with Poland in Warsaw on Tuesday.

The pair missed Friday's win over San Marino but boss Roy Hodgson was hoping they would be available for the crucial second game of the current double-header.

Calf problem: Frank Lampard (left) has not recovered in time to face Poland

Under the weather: Ryan Bertrand

However, after reporting to England's Watford training base on Sunday afternoon, it has been decided neither player could feature.

'Frank Lampard and Ryan Bertrand have been ruled out of England's FIFA World Cup qualifier with Poland,' read an England statement. 'Lampard (calf) and Bertrand (illness) did not take part in England's 5-0 win over San Marino, and will not be ready for Tuesday's game.

'Roy Hodgson and his squad of 23 players travel to Warsaw on Monday morning.'

The news comes less than 24 hours after it was confirmed Theo Walcott was returning to Arsenal after sustaining a chest injury in a heavy challenge early in the San Marino game.

Lampard's absence is a blow as it robs England of a huge amount of experience for such an important game.

However, Hodgson was impressed by the performance of Michael Carrick on Friday and the Manchester United man would appear to be an automatic replacement.